This invention relates to removing residual carbon from refinery equipment and the like and, more particularly, to a process for removing coke buildup in petroleum cokers.
Over the years, a variety of complex and cumbersome devices have been suggested for removing coke from petroleum cokers. Coke removal (decoking) has been conventionally accomplished by sequentially inserting and removing as many as three different decoking devices to accomplish pilot hole cutting, reaming, and a variety of other decoking operations. Typifying these decoking devices and other materials-handling devices are those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,857,766, 2,217,360, 2,245,554, 2,245,575, 2,306,926, 2,335,604, 2,355,323, 2,761,160, 3,412,012, 3,836,434, 3,880,359, 3,892,633, 4,168,224, 4,410,398, and 4,454,022. These devices have met with varying degrees of success.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved decoking apparatus and process which overcomes most, if not all, of the above problems.